EPAS

EPAS European Postgraduate in Arts in Sound

ifs internationale filmschule köln is part of a European consortium to form the European Joint Program in Sound called EPAS European Postgraduate in Arts in Sound.

In September 2016, EPAS started as a pilot project (further education) of the EMAS curriculum development (European Master of Arts in Sound (EMAS) as an artistic discipline. Created by a consortium of European universities, film schools, art schools and arts organizations, the overall aim of the course is to produce practitioners to work in the creative industries, who are not only highly skilled but also individual, creative, critically aware, innovative and professional in their approach.

What is EPAS?
EPAS is a one-year intensive further education course in the creative potential of sound both of itself and as part of a multi-media practice. The innovative curriculum emphasises the development of creative practice alongside technical craft and embraces research as essential in supporting self and creative development. EPAS is a postgraduate with an international certificate as outcome. The partners of EPAS Consortium are KASK, School of Arts Gent, HoGent, Belgium; NFA (Nederlandse Film Academie), The Netherlands; and ifs (internationale filmschule köln), Germany. ENSATT, France; Le Fresnoy – Studio national des Arts contemporains (Tourcoing); and Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, UK; as well as The School of Sound, UK; Festival International du Film d’Aubagne, France and Film Fest Gent, Belgium are associated partners of the EPAS consortium. The consortium can invite other associated partners in order to optimize the education.

Why is it needed?
Sound is at the heart of our perception of the world. It defines and clarifies our experience in time and space. Sound is both informative and affectual – sound can give us information but, more importantly, sound makes us feel, physically and emotionally.
While there are countless courses on how to interpret visual information, from medieval painting to modern advertising, sound is a relatively unexplored field of study. And, although academic studies do explore the theoretical and conceptual sides of audio production, sound is generally considered a technical, rather than aesthetic, subject. EPAS aims to address this imbalance through an integration of practice and theory continuously fed by theoretical, critical and conceptual thinking. In this way, it will enable the participants to explore sound as a discipline in itself as well as in relation to screen production, dance, theatre, radio, architecture and other arts and media.
We strongly believe that this can be achieved most effectively as an international education taking full advantage of the diversity of research and working practices across Europe and assimilating them into one educational program. Additionally, the EPAS curriculum encourages mobility within Europe by requiring the participants to study at one of the partner schools or with an associated artist or practitioner. This form of international education stimulates new creative thinking while encouraging more job opportunities for postgraduates on the European labour market.

Target Group

Who is EPAS for?
Our target group is artists, creators and professional practitioners who want to develop their knowledge and skills in sound within an audio-visual context. We will welcome applications from anyone who already uses sound or is interested in exploring the field of sound to incorporate into their artistic practice.
Participants will be selected first and foremost on their creative abilities, coupled with a passion for their chosen medium. Recent graduates and experienced professionals will all be welcomed as we look for a diverse group of participants who can learn together and inspire one another.
The strength of EPAS is that participants can access the expertise of different institutes and exchange ideas on a European level. Participants will have the possibility to develop their own projects within a multicultural environment, providing them with fundamental insights into the diversity of European thinking. Even though the course will be taught in English, the variety of European philosophic and artistic traditions is at the heart of this course.

Selection criteriaApplicants are selected according to the following criteria:
– Artistic talent, motivation and personal development potential
– Relevant research and personal project proposal
– Participant’s academic history, previous work and activities in the field
– Group dynamics and suitability within the field of study

Structure

Number of Participants: max.14

Organisation of the course
In order to enable to combine work and study in this postgraduate, the first semester is organised in 5 modules of 8 or 9 days (two weekends and the week in between).
The modules are intensive workshops with guest profs and profs of the different institutes.
This first semester gives the participant the possibility to discover, explore the sound field in different disciplines.
The modules of the first semester take place in Gent. Only the second module will be organised in Amsterdam.
In the second semester the participants work in one of the partner institutes to develop and finish their personal final project.